Southampton announce Ronald Koeman as manager

Southampton have named Ronald Koeman as their new manager, signing the Dutchman on a three-year deal, according to Daily Mail.

Koeman, 51, takes over for Mauricio Pochettino, who left at the conclusion of this past Premier League season to take over at Tottenham.

Executive Director Les Reed said about the hiring of Koeman: “From the moment we met with Ronald, it was clear he had the vision and ambition to take our club forward, that he shared our football philosophy and could see the opportunity to move our club to the next level.”

Koeman was previously the manager at Feyenoord, where he had been in charge since 2011. In February, he announced he would leave the club at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities.

He also has previous managerial experience with Ajax, Benefica, PSV Eindhoven, and Valencia.

Koeman was also a very productive player during his 17-year playing career. He is the top all-time scoring defender in the world, amassing 193 goals in 535 career matches. He spent time with five clubs during his career, including six seasons at FC Barcelona.

Koeman inherits a Southampton side that stormed to a surprising eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season under Pochettino.

However the club faces the extremely difficult task of trying to hold onto key members such as Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren, all of whom have been linked with moves to big name clubs. Star striker Rickie Lambert has already agreed to a £4m move to Liverpool.

Koeman will be joined at Southampton by his brother, Erwin, who will serve as his assistant.